Cinnamon
by EmeraldCityTourist
Summary: Or: "Four Times Buffy Used Her Nose and One Time She Used Her Tongue."


Buffy always wondered why Faith never smelled like smoke. The harsh light on the tip of the cigarette brightened as the brunette inhaled deeply, and Buffy found herself thinking of the time she'd tried it herself. The two slayers were relaxing at the Bronze after a successful night on patrol, and Faith was eyeing the men walking by, a fag dangling loosely from her fingers as she nodded her head almost imperceptibly to the music.

Buffy glanced at the stick, flinching every time some ash hit the ground and preparing herself for flames to engulf the dance floor. When the fire never came, she relaxed again into the couch, her gaze moving up to see Faith lost in thoughts. When the brunette glanced over and saw Buffy looking, she wordlessly offered the box of smokes to her, her eyebrow raised as if she knew Buffy never had any intention of smoking herself. Stupidly, Buffy saw this for the challenge it was and set out to prove her friend wrong, grabbing a stick and holding it out for Faith to light it. She brought it to her lips and inhaled too quickly in a lame attempt to impress, and almost coughed up a lung. Still, she held onto the cigarette for the rest of the night, refusing to put it out and show defeat. At the end of the night, Faith smiled and showed her how to smoke the right way, but told Buffy that she didn't need to smoke, that there were plenty of other things she could do with her mouth that would impress her. The weird thing was, Faith said this seriously, quietly, right before she closed her motel room door in Buffy's face.

Buffy always wondered why Faith never smelled like cheap cologne. It would make sense, considering all the times Buffy had shown up at the other slayer's place, only to be greeted by Faith pushing a half-naked man out of the doorway. Sometimes when Faith and Buffy were hanging out with the rest of the Scoobies, Faith would stay quiet, her eyes scanning the length of the room for what Buffy assumed would be her next one-night stand. She never noticed before how Faith's eyes always landed back on her. Some nights, right in the middle of a conversation, Faith would get up and leave the group, walking towards her choice like she knew that she wasn't going to be rejected. She never was rejected, Buffy noticed.

Buffy always wondered why Faith never smelled like leather. All of her clothes seemed to be broken in already, worn down by months of running and jumping and kissing and dancing. Once she wondered how Faith paid for things that she needed, like clothes and food. Then she was introduced to the policy of "want, take, have," and she understood. She asked Faith once why she always wore dark colors, and if she ever got uncomfortable in the leather. Faith looked at her and replied that it was harder to be seen in the dark, and that all the "new fashions" that were coming out sucked. Buffy knew that there wasn't any new leather to smell.

Buffy always knew why Faith smelled like cinnamon. Once, when they were sparring alone in the library, they somehow landed on the floor together, with Buffy on top of Faith. Buffy didn't know why, but they looked at each other so deeply that it would have been scary were it anyone else. The silence was broken by Faith grinning and blowing a bubble in Buffy's face. When the gum popped, Buffy could smell the spice of cinnamon, and she smiled, just a little. Faith opened her mouth to say something, and all of a sudden, Buffy's mouth was on hers, softly, gently kissing her. Buffy had never kissed a girl before, and later, when she thought about it, she knew she'd never kiss any other girl. Somehow during the kiss, Faith's gum found its way into Buffy's mouth, and the taste never left her. She always knew why Faith smelled like cinnamon- because it was the perfect smell for her, sharp but alluring. Like you weren't sure if you wanted to taste it, because even though it might be too strong and sting your mouth, you knew you'd just keep wanting more. And when you got right down to it, it was perfect.


End file.
